Can somebody pls identify the part in the picture and suggest where to buy? I cat seem to find it at RA and a description or maybe even part# would certainly help. It´s from a 1972 Electra Custom Limited w/ automatic climate control. The printing says Fridgedaire O777 24 72 (cw 24 in 1972?) The low pressure service valve (1) is frozen and can´t be taken off. At the same time it´s leaking and the system does not hold R134a. We are considering hard soldering the valve completely, thus sealing it, but exchanging it for a working part and swapping the valve out is certainly preferred.
The whole devise is the suction valve. They make aftermarket ones that cycle your compressor on and off, but if you are running an A6 compressor (original type) it wears them out pretty fast. The other option is to send this valve in to have it refurbished. There are a couple places that do that (Original air parts, I think). They can tune them for R134A and fix whatever is wrong with the valve.
you can get poa valves online usually 250 bucks or so. If you dont swap to green orings and the soft hoses to barrier ones. You are going to leak out r134a fast. You can tune them yourself btw it isnt that hard.
Got the valve out, was veeeery tight on the fitting towards the engine block, twisted the hard line. When I had it on the bench, brown dust fell out, probably rust. I pressed on the metal disc inside, didn´t move. Tapped on it with a hammer and a small extension, disc fell off, now moving around freely inside the valve - I probably broke it. yeah, 250 for used ones or the better (billet) retros, 120 for a simple tube with a pressure switch. The specialised shops want 450+ for NOS or restoring your own part... Not sure what you say about leaking, the shop put 230 psi nitrogen on the system and apart from the service port on the POA it appeared to be leakproof.
its not about the psi its the molecule size is different from what i gathered. I tried to swap my bronco with the old o rings and hoses. It held vacuum for 2 days and still leaked off.
im pretty sure that you can use one for a bodies in general. if not you can buy a kit and crimp it up. It may not affect it just what happened with my bronco. Im not sure it was the hoses or orings as well that caused the leak process. For the price of freon its better to do it right. that was 70 bucks i wasted 2 years ago would be more now vs 10 dollars in orings and seals. Compressor would need gone through as well as they have old type seals. You could do every part for a few hundred. I would myself but i mean its up to you it may hold up or you may just try orings.
Undecided whether to go with a NOS in box or a used, but tested one. Even though I like NOS, sitting 50 years on the shelf doesn’t make the valve any better. Any recommendations or opinions?
I don't put much value on NOS components that have rubber diaphragms and seals. I would find a good used one (cheap) and test it using compressed air.
